Rome weddings

The following information relating to the legal requirements for getting married in Italy, it is only general information and cannot be completely valid for each unique case.

Although there are some basic rules that everyone who wants to get married in Italy must follow, it is recommended to carry out further research and to contact a local Wedding Planner Agency.

Persons wishing to be married in Italy must show with 2 witnesses and make a announcement of their intention to marry before the “Ufficiale di Stato Civile” (Civil Registrar) of the city or town where the marriage ceremony is to take place. At the time of making their announcement, the couple must present all necessary documents. Subsequent the declaration it is necessary for marriage announcement, to be posted at the local City Hall for two weeks before the marriage occurs if one of the parties is Italian or if the U.S. citizen is a resident of Italy. However, banns are waived by the “Ufficiale di Stato Civile if neither party to the marriage is Italian and neither is residing in Italy.

On the fourth day following the second Sunday on which the banns are posted (or any time after banns have been waived) the couple may proceed to married, either in a civil ceremony or a religious one. The civil ceremony is performed by the “Ufficiale di Stato Civile” or one of his assistants.

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES: If a religious ceremony is performed by a Roman Catholic priest and includes the civil ceremony because the priest must register the marriage with the Ufficiale di Stato Civile. TRANSLATORS: Local authorities require the presence of a translator if neither party speaks Italian.

DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE: The following documents must be presented to the Ufficiale di Stato Civile when making a declaration of intention to marry:

1 Passport ;

2. Birth certificate (certified copy), which shows the names of both parents;

3. Evidence of termination of any previous marriage (final divorce or annulment decree or death certificate);

4. If under 18 Sworn statement of consent to the marriage by the parents or legal guardian ;

5. A declaration (atto notorio), sworn to by four witnesses before either an Italian consular officer, in Italy, at a Pretura or before a mayor or town clerk, stating that according to the laws to which the citizen is subject in his country there is no obstacle to his or her marriage. Anyone is going to go Italy to be married is urged to obtain this declaration before leaving his own country because it is much easier to find four witnesses who know him or her sufficiently well to make the declaration in his country than in Italy.

6. A declaration, sworn to by the citizen before a Consular Officer at the Embassy/Consulate in Italy, stating that according to the laws to which the citizen is subject in his country there is no obstacle to his or her marriage. Evidence of citizenship (passport, naturalization certificate, birth certificate showing birth ) must be shown to the Consular Officer at the time of making this declaration.

FEES: The Consular Officers of each country will charge a fee to notarize your declaration. There will be additional fees associated with translations, apostles and ordering of public documents.

AUTHENTICATION OF DOCUMENTS: All public records issued outside of Italy and intended for use in Italy must have a “Hague certification,” or apostille, which is a form affixed to a public record by the Secretary of State of each country issuing the document under the terms of a treaty. When obtaining the required birth, death or divorce documents, ask the issuing office for instructions and fees for obtaining an apostille, or contact the office of the appropriate state Secretary of State. Information about the Hague Legalization Convention, as it is commonly known, is also available on the internet or by autofax

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENTS: The document(s) must be translated into Italian and the translation must be certified by an Italian Consular Officer. The addresses of translation services and the Italian Embassy or nearest Consulate can be found easily in internet.

CERTIFIED COPIES OF YOUR ITALIAN MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE: You should request a number of certified copies of your marriage certificate, as they will be needed for a variety of employment, insurance and legal purposes, and may be difficult to obtain at a later date. There is a small fee for each.

APOSTILLE FROM ITALIAN AUTHORITIES: Ask the local authorities to have an apostille affixed to each certified copy of the Italian marriage certificate. In Italy, the following individuals are authorized to affix apostilles: 1) I Procurators della Reppublica (The Public Prosecutor); 2) The Competent Prefetti (Heads) of the Territories for the Valley of Aosta; Il Presidente della Regione (The Head of the District for the Provinces of Trente and Bolsano; Il Commissario di Governo (The Commissioner of the Government). See also our general flyer on the “Hague Legalization Convention” available via our home page on the Internet orvia our automated fax service.

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